FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4, 2024
Contact: media@texascivilrightsproject.org
Alamo, TX – Today, President Biden announced an Executive Order that could effectively close the border immediately. The Order authorizes the border’s closure to asylum seekers when apprehensions of unauthorized entries exceed 2,500 people per day. This Order will have devastating humanitarian consequences. Currently, displaced individuals hoping to seek safety in the US must wait for months at our southern border in hopes of the opportunity to ask for protection through an increasingly restricted immigration system. For many, the dangers of waiting along our southern border outweigh the risks of unauthorized entry to the US. This Order, and its accompanying changes to our immigration system, will have the effect of denying individuals access to our immigration system – including the ability to ask for asylum. The Executive Order is similar to one issued in 2018, which courts held later violated our asylum laws.
In response to the announcement, Karla Marisol Vargas (she/her), Senior Attorney for the Beyond Borders Program at Texas Civil Rights Project, released the following statement:
“This announcement is a shameful attempt to incite fear and score political points at the expense of families, children, and adults seeking safety at the border. We have seen the failures and dangers of similar policies in the past, such as with Title 42. This policy will do more of the same, limit asylum - which only puts people in harm's way.
Instead of addressing immigration as the humanitarian issue that it is, President Biden has chosen ineffective enforcement policies that mirror those previously deemed unlawful - such as a 2018 policy ruled to be in direct violation of asylum law. Instead of creating morally sound policies that facilitate efficient access to immigration protections, this Executive Order will further strain protections and force people to wait in danger while facing active threats to their safety.
Displaced individuals have continued to travel to the border, despite deterrent policies because the United States remains their last, best chance at safety. We need to see solutions that will put an end to the criminalization of immigration and welcome people with dignity.”
To schedule an interview with one of the TCRP Beyond Borders staff members, please contact media@texascivilrightsproject.org.
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